2000
#6,792
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,574
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.70
Rare Last name
Cofer
An occupational surname for a box or chest maker, derived from the Middle English word "coffre."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,016 Americans carry the last name Cofer. That puts it at #7,346 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 68,332 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cofer surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
5.0K
1 in 68,332
Census rank
#7,346
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,374 bearers of the surname Cofer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7346th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cofer, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.0%. The next largest groups are Black (21.8%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cofer
The surname Cofer is believed to have originated in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "cofre," meaning a chest or coffer, suggesting that the name may have originally referred to someone who made or sold such containers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, which mentions a "William le Cofrer." This spelling variation, indicating an occupational surname, provides evidence of the name's early origins.
In the 14th century, the surname appears in the Wiltshire Subsidy Rolls of 1377, where a "John Cofer" is listed. This record suggests that the name had already begun to take on its more modern spelling during this period.
The Cofer surname can also be linked to various place names in England, such as Cofer's Green in Shropshire and Cofer's Cross in Worcestershire. These place names likely derived from individuals bearing the Cofer surname who resided in or were associated with those locations.
One notable figure in history with the Cofer surname was Sir John Cofer (c. 1480-1554), who served as a member of the Privy Council during the reign of King Henry VIII. He played a significant role in the dissolution of the monasteries in the 16th century.
Another notable individual was Thomas Cofer (1565-1642), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge from 1635 to 1638.
In the 17th century, the Cofer surname can be found in the records of the Virginia Company of London, which established the first permanent English settlement in North America at Jamestown. A person named John Cofer is listed as having arrived in Virginia in 1623.
During the English Civil War in the mid-17th century, a Captain Edward Cofer is recorded as having fought for the Parliamentarian forces against King Charles I.
In the 18th century, a notable figure was William Cofer (1733-1807), an English merchant and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the development of Manchester, including the establishment of several schools and hospitals.
As the centuries passed, the Cofer surname continued to spread across various regions, with individuals bearing the name making their mark in various fields and professions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cofer
Among Census respondents with the surname Cofer, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.0%. The next largest groups are Black (21.8%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Cofer bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Cofer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.0% · 3,104
- Black or African American21.8% · 954
- Two or more races4.0% · 173
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 100
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cofer
Cofer appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#7,315
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,561
-13 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 1.55
Rank movement Down 523 places
2020
#7,346
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,374
-187 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 1.46
Rank movement Down 31 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,792 | 4,574 | 1.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,315 | 4,561 | 1.55 | -13 bearers (-0.3%) | Down 523 places |
| 2020 | #7,346 | 4,374 | 1.46 | -187 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 31 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Cofer surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #7,315 | #7,346 | -0.4% |
| Count | 4,561 | 4,374 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.55 | 1.46 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cofer bearers went from 4,561 to 4,374 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 31 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,315 to #7,346.
FAQ
Cofer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cofer?
Name Census estimates that about 5,016 living Americans carry the surname Cofer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 68,332 residents.
How common is Cofer?
Cofer ranks #7,346 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.46 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,374 people with the surname Cofer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,016), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.46 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Cofer.
Has Cofer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cofer went from 4,561 recorded bearers to 4,374. That is a decrease of 187 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,315 to #7,346.
What does the Census say about the background of Cofer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cofer, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.0%. The next largest groups are Black (21.8%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cofer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.0% (3,104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cofer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.0%), Black (21.8%), Two or More Races (4.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Cofer (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Cofer mean?
An occupational surname for a box or chest maker, derived from the Middle English word "coffre." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Cofer (1.46 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Cofer?
See how many people have the surname Cofer on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.